Key terms

Key Semiotic Terms (some advanced)

Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is. Below are some brief definitions of semiotic terms, beginning with the smallest unit of meaning and proceeding towards the larger and more complex:

Signifier: any material thing that signifies, e.g., words on a page, a facial expression, an image.

Signified: the concept that a signifier refers to.

Together, the signifier and signified make up theSign: the smallest unit of meaning. Anything that can be used to communicate (or to tell a lie).

Symbolic (arbitrary) signs: signs where the relation between signifier and signified is purely conventional and culturally specific, e.g., most words.

Iconic signs: signs where the signifier resembles the signified, e.g., a picture.

Indexical Signs: signs where the signifier is caused by the signified, e.g., smoke signifies fire.

Denotation: the most basic or literal meaning of a sign, e.g., the word "rose" signifies a particular kind of flower.

Connotation: the secondary, cultural meanings of signs; or "signifying signs," signs that are used as signifiers for a secondary meaning, e.g., the word "rose" signifies passion.

Metonymy: the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the turf for horse racing

Synecdoche: a kind of connotation in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor).

Collections of related connotations can be bound together either byParadigmatic relations: where signs get meaning from their association with other signs,

or bySyntagmatic relations: where signs get meaning from their sequential order, e.g., grammar or the sequence of events that make up a story.

Myths: a combination of paradigms and syntagms that make up an oft-told story with elaborate cultural associations, e.g., the cowboy myth, the romance myth.

Codes: a combination of semiotic systems, a supersystem, that function as general maps of meaning, belief systems about oneself and others, which imply views and attitudes about how the world is and/or ought to be. Codes are where semiotics and social structure and values connect.

Ideologies: codes that reinforce or are congruent with structures of power. Ideology works largely by creating forms of "common sense," of the taken-for-granted in everyday life.

Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions

The codes and conventions of a newspaper or magazine are forms and techniques to communicate certain ideas and impressions. there are two types of codes which awe symbolic and technical. Technical codes include things like camera angles which angles represent whats on the page, sound and lighting also are a technical aspect. Symbolic codes are all about how the language, characters and their actions are being used in the article. 

Conventions are the things that relate to the content, font and style. There are two types of conventions. Firstly there are the technical conventions which deal with the technical area. for example in a music video a technical convention would be making sure the video was the same length as the song. a genre convention is where an artist would relate to their particular genre like a rock band would have instruments in their video to show that they are a rock band. 

The difference between codes and conventions is easy to understand. A code is an individual technique. in a music video for example a panning shot might be used in one video but not another. A convention would be something that is used in all of that particular genre. 

Target Audience

The Target audience for the Newspapers:


The Sun:

The sun newspaper is read by all ages across the UK. The majority of the audience that are reading this are over the age of 65 and make up 26% of the readers.

As of 25/10/16, the circulation of newspapers that are printed is at 1,696,685 copies with a readership of 4,316,000. the digital copies are a lot difference with the readership being a lot lower that it is in print with 159,000 people reading the newspaper online. however, the circulation us a lot lot higher with 2,065,684. so the overall sum for people who read the newspaper over the country is at 4,461,000.

The Times:
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The Times newspaper has very different figures to that of the Sun. Most of the readerships comes from people whoa are 35 or over which is a much audience to the Sun readers. 30,000 people out of the 37,000 people who read this paper in print fall into this age gap.